When most people think about horror, the word “romance” doesn’t often come to mind, but if you’re a hardcore genre fan, you know better. Some of the best horror movies of this millennium are romances, like Spring, Let the Right One In, and A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night, so even though I’m not a huge fan of more typical romantic films, I love them when they’re infused with a bit of horror. In fact, this is one of my favorite genre mashups, so when I first heard about The Dead Thing, I was instantly intrigued. The Fantasia plot synopsis promised a tragic and unsettling supernatural romance with grave consequences for all involved. I couldn’t wait to see what lovelorn chills this movie had in store.

The Dead Thing was directed and co-written by Elric Kane, and it stars Katherine Hughes, Blu Hunt, John Karna, Joey Millin, and Ben Smith-Petersen. In the film, Alex is a young woman stuck in a seemingly never-ending loop of uninteresting dates and unsatisfying hookups, but that all changes when she meets Kyle. There’s just something about the guy that captivates Alex, and he seems equally fascinated with her.

However, after an amazing first night together, Kyle completely ghosts her, and that leads Alex to take desperate measures to contact him. She eventually learns that her new obsession harbors a horrifying supernatural secret, but she doesn’t let that stop her. The two eventually reconnect and start a new, steamier romance, and that decision ultimately puts Alex and the people she loves in mortal danger.

As you might be able to guess from that plot synopsis, The Dead Thing stands or falls largely on the strength of its two lead characters, and unfortunately, one of them isn’t quite up to the task. Let’s start with Alex. She’s played excellently by Blu Hunt, and this woman is hands down the star of the show.

Her character goes through a veritable roller coaster of emotions in this movie, and Hunt absolutely nails every one of them. When Alex is bored by the men she dates at the start of the film, you can feel the apathy and ennui oozing out of her. When she finally meets Kyle and connects with him, Hunt shines like the sun itself. And when the poor woman realizes she’s being ignored, she looks and acts like her entire world has come crashing down.

It’s a genuinely impressive performance, and in a lot of other films, it would be enough to make the experience a positive one. But The Dead Thing is a bit different. As great as Alex is, her story is inextricably tied to Kyle, so she can’t carry the movie on her own. They both have to be great, but unfortunately, her co-star can’t hold up his end of the bargain.

Kyle is played by Ben Smith-Petersen, and every time he’s on screen, the film takes a drastic nosedive in quality. This character is completely devoid of anything even approaching charisma or charm, and when Smith-Petersen is asked to convey intense emotions, it always feels like he’s holding back. It’s just about impossible to buy into this guy, and he unfortunately drags the whole story down with him.

On top of that, Kyle also ruins the horror in The Dead Thing. I can’t say too much without giving away the movie’s big reveal, but when the horror really comes to the fore in the third act, it’s inseparably linked to Kyle. So if he doesn’t work as a character, the scares won’t work either, and that’s exactly what happens. This film isn’t frightening, creepy, or atmospheric, and that’s almost entirely due to this one weak character.

And it’s a real shame because everything else about The Dead Thing is actually quite good. Like I said before, Alex is a great protagonist, and her story deals with some interesting and weighty themes. Most obviously, it’s a cautionary tale about the dangers of refusing to let go of your past, and the movie hammers that idea home in a number of ways.

It’s easiest to spot in Alex and Kyle’s relationship, but we also see it in Kyle’s supernatural secret and Alex’s housemate, Cara. See, Cara has recently broken up with her fiancé, and the former couple have trouble moving on. The guy comes around numerous times to get his stuff, and there’s a scene where Alex finds Cara wearing her wedding dress just for the hell of it.

On top of that, The Dead Thing also touches on the dangers women often face in today’s dating scene. It showcases some unwanted sexual advances, a more subtle but still uncomfortable form of sexual harassment, as well as straight-up violence and abuse, and on paper, that makes for a really intriguing story.

But again, because Kyle is so heavily involved in the film’s exploration of these themes, most of it comes across as bland and uninteresting. That one weak character makes the movie a real chore to get through, so if you get the chance to watch The Dead Thing sometime in the future, I suggest giving it a pass. Sure, there’s some great stuff in here, but the overall package is pretty disappointing.